Towns and Villages in Worcestershire The gateway to Worcestershire, Broadway Tower is a unique Capability Brown Folly Tower open to visitors wanting to experience great English heritage in an inspiring location. Malvern Hills, Worcestershire The Malvern Hills boast some of the most spectacular views in the Midlands and is a great place for walking, running, cycling or just enjoying the countryside. Genealogy and Worcestershire, England Genealogy and Worcestershire, England Click on map to see a larger map of Worcestershire (44,226 bytes) Contents Introduction This page is devoted to the county of Worcestershire, England, and covers the origin of its name, an outline of its history and geography, links to other web sites concerned with the county, genealogical resources relating to the county and the same types of information in more detail for those cities, towns and villages in the county in which I have a family history interest. In doing this, it is not my intention to duplicate unnecessarily, nor to compete with, web pages which already do some of those things, but to complement such pages and provide links to them, with appropriate description of what they have to offer.

In 1974 the northern part was absorbed into the new metropolitan county of West Midlands, and the remainder was merged with Herefordshire, but this page deals with the county as it was before these changes, but after those, less dramatic but nevertheless numerous, of 1844, when many parishes were added to and many others removed from the county. Origins of the Name The shire based on Worcester. The city name means the Roman town of the Weogora tribe. The Weogora were Celtic, and the name possibly comes from the river, meaning winding river. The ending &QUOT;-cester&QUOT; is a common place name ending, derived from Old English ceaster, meaning Roman station or walled town. Geography Worcestershire lies in the south-west Midlands of England, bounded by Herefordshire in the west, Gloucestershire in the south, Warwickshire in the east, Staffordshire in the north and Shropshire in the north-west. There was also a large detached piece of the county to the north, entirely surrounded by Staffordshire, containing the town of Dudley and the industrial village of Netherton . The area of the county was just under 740 square miles.

The main county area is divided roughly in two by the River Severn (Britain's longest river), which flows north to south a little to the west of the centre. There is also the River Teme, which enters the county in the west on its way from the mountains of Radnor Forest in Wales through Herefordshire and Shropshire to join the Severn about a third of the latter's way through Worcestershire, and the Warwickshire River Avon (England has two other rivers of that name) comes in from the east, further south and flows through the Vale of Evesham on its way to meet the Severn on the Gloucestershire boundary at Tewkesbury. The smaller River Stour wanders in and out of the county in the north before flowing through Stourbridge to join the Severn some miles above the Teme at Stourport.

Worcestershire contains no major ranges of hills, but has some quite high but small area hills just inside its boundaries, including the very steep-sided ridge of Malvern Hills rising to about 1,400 feet in the south-west, the Clent Hills (just over 1,000 feet) in the north-east, Bredon Hill (just under 1,000 feet) in the south-west, and it includes a little of the steep north-west facing escarpment of the Cotswold Hills (just over 1,000 feet) in the extreme south on the Gloucestershire boundary. By contrast, the land at the southern extremity, near the union of the Avon and Severn rivers, is under 50 feet above sea level. There is also a small range of low hills in the north-west (not named on my map), just across the River Teme from the higher Clee Hills of Shropshire.

The northern part of the county, including the whole of the detached part around Dudley, and the town of Halesowen (which was once in a detached part of Shropshire), is a part of the Black Country , almost entirely urban and heavily industrialised in the 18th and 19th centuries. The industry here was based largely on the readily available local coal, iron and limestone. The remainder of the county is mainly agricultural, undulating, very fertile land, with scattered towns supporting a variety of industries. The main places are the city of Worcester (glass, china and leather goods), Bromsgrove, Evesham, Great Malvern, Droitwich (salt), Kidderminster (carpets), Redditch (needles) and Stourbridge (glass).

Some idea of the importance some of the various towns can be obtained from their populations in the 1921 census (chosen because I happen to have some of the figures readly available): Droitwich - 4,588 Stourbridge - 18,190 Worcester - 48,848 The Vale of Evesham is famous for its orchards (especially apples, pears and hops), and is also a major centre for growing various vegetables. Cattle and sheep farming is a major (but now declining) activity in the remainder of the county. History Prehistory Pollen from ancient soils and the results of excavations help us to make an educated guess about the landscape of Worcestershire in prehistory. Up until about 6,500 years ago the area was probably a woodland environment managed by a small group of hunter-gatherers. By this time, the beginning of the Neolithic period, people had started to domesticate animals and grow a few crops, and over the next 2,500 years the land was gradually cleared.

By about 4,000 years ago, the Early Bronze Age, the population had increased considerably and the land particularly in the south east of the county would have been quite open with permanent settlements. By the Iron Age the landscape was made up of small groups of circular houses within enclosures linked by trackways between small fields. These small farms in the vale were overlooked by tribal centres such as the hillforts on the Malverns and at Bredon. There was a great deal of contact with other parts of the country and the continent at this period. Romano-British Worcestershire There is more evidence of how people lived in the Romano-British period (1st to 5th century AD) than for earlier times. In part this is because more of the items used in everyday life were made of materials which survive being buried. Worcestershire had two towns in the Roman period, Worcester (Wigorna Castra) and Droitwich. These were important industrial and market centres but there is no evidence of the type of civic buildings such as baths associated with Roman towns elsewhere in the country. Some villas are found in the south east of the county but most people lived in scattered farmsteads.

The people who farmed the land in this period were descended from the Iron Age inhabitants, although their way of life was influenced by the economic and social changes that nearly 400 years of Roman rule brought about. For example, as time went on there was a change from the roundhouses used in the Iron Age to rectangular buildings. Some of these might have had tiled roofs. Another change in lifestyle over this period was the increase in the use of pottery for storing, cooking and serving food. This shows that cooking and eating habits were changing. Most of the pottery used in Worcestershire at this time was made at kiln sites in the Malvern area but even in farming communities people were using small amounts of pottery imported from elsewhere in England and the Roman Empire. This imported pottery included Mediterranean forms such as mortaria, bowls used for grinding food, and amphora made for transporting wine and olive oil. It is thought that the population of Worcestershire at this time might have been as high as it was in the mediæval period before the Black Death.

Post-Roman Worcestershire We know very little about everyday life in this part of Worcestershire between the end of Roman rule (about AD 410) and AD 600 when the area came under pagan Anglo-Saxon influence. No pottery dating to this period has been found. This is probably because wood or leather vessels, which decay when buried, were used for the storage, cooking and eating of food. No coins have been found which indicates that a barter system was probably in use. Many of the people were Christian and so were buried without grave goods. Even the houses of this period are very hard to find archaeologically. This suggests that they were constructed of wood and other organic materials with little or no foundations unlike the more substantial structures of earlier times. The reasons for this great change in how people lived is not well understood but is probably due to a combination of factors such as the breakdown of society, climatic deterioration and plague. Some of these factors would have resulted in slow changes whilst others, such as plague, would have had a rapid result, but throughout it all it is likely that the inhabitants of Worcestershire would have carried on working the land as they had always done.

The amount of surviving evidence for life in Worcestershire gradually increases after about AD 600. Coins and personal ornaments such as bracelets, brooches and strap ends dating from the 7th to 11th centuries have been found but very little pottery. It is in this period that documentary evidence first becomes really important in our understanding of the landscape. By the 8th century AD we have direct evidence of landmarks in the form of documents which note the boundaries of estates given to and by the church. The West Saxons took over the area in the sixth century, driving out the Celtic population, only to be replaced themselves 50 years later by the Anglian Hwicce, who established Worcester as their chief military, administrative and religious centre, and the basis for trade with Wales. Their kingdom covered the whole of what we know as Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, plus the southern part of Warwickshire. Early in the seventh century they were absorbed into the kingdom of Mercia, but maintained a degree of independence as a sub-kingdom until Mercia fell to the invading Danes in the later part of the ninth century.

The administrative county of Worcestershire came into being when the Saxon kingdom of Wessex took over the area not long afterwards. The church was very strong in Worcestershire throughout the mediæval period. Bishop Oswald founded the first great Benedictine monastery in England here in the ninth century, the first of many monasteries to be created in the county. The Franciscans and Dominicans settled in Worcester, Benedictines in Evesham and Malvern, Cluniacs in Dudley and Austin Friars in Droitwich. The Domesday Book shows that over half the county (700 hides out of 1,200) belonged to the church in 1086, compared with only 175 out of about 1,135 in neighbouring Warwickshire. This had the great benefits for the inhabitants that they were saved from the upheavals of takeover by Norman lords and later depredations of the robber barons during the unstable years of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The county was the site of one major battle in those days, however, when the future Edward I defeated Simon de Montfort, who died in the battle at Evesham in 1265.

However, it led to major changes later when Henry VIII abolished the monasteries. In the seventeenth century Worcestershire saw a number of battles and skirmishes in the Civil Wars between King and Parliament. The final decisive battle took place at Worcester in 1651, when Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentary army ended the second Civil War in beating Charles II's Scottish army and forcing the young king into exile. A few years later Huntington Court in Worcestershire was the base from which the (in)famous Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament was hatched, and where the conspiritors returned briefly after its failure. Thereafter Worcestershire remained clear of wars and violence, until the bombing of the industrial north of the county during World War 2. That same northern area was at the heart of the industrial revolution 150 years or so earlier, when the Black Country became known as the Workshop of the World, and atmospheric pollution reached heights never seen before or since. Mines, quarries and slag heaps defaced the land and people flocked to move from the depressed agricultural areas to live in the slums thrown up around the new factories.

Today the air is relatively clean, the slums have been swept away, and Worcestershire is a quite pleasant, reasonably prosperous, place for a modern genealogist to visit. Also available on-line are the indexed 1851-1891 censuses for Worcestershire Peculiars . Worcestershire Lookup Exchange is a list of volunteers willing to do free lookups, as and when they have time, in resources they happen to have available to them. A table of Worcestershire parishes , with IGI coverage, etc. is also on-line. Worcestershire has two record offices. The headquarters , at County Hall in Spetchley Street, Worcester, (email at RecordOffice@worcestershire.gov.uk) hold most official records, such as council archives (for both the county and some districts), court and coroners records, poor law unions and hospital archives, parish registers and bishops' transcripts, etc. The St. Helens Record Office in Fish Street, Worcester holds mainly non-official records such as records of tythes, non-conformist churches, manorial courts, businesses, as well as maps and some family collections.

For up to date opening hours it is probably best to consult the Worcester County Council web site. The Midmarch mailing list covers Worcestershire and a number of neighbouring counties. To subscribe send a message containing just the word: subscribe to MIDMARCH-L-request@rootsweb.com . The 1842 Pigot's Directory for Worcestershire has been transferred to CD-ROM, and is available from The Society of Genealogists Bookshop. Worcestershire Tour and Travel Information Guide England Worcestershire Tour and Travel Information Guide Worcestershire mainly lies between the majestic Malvern Hills and the mellow Cotswolds and does include the village of Broadway, known as the Jewel of the Cotswolds and the northern gateway to the Cotswolds. It is a county of contrasts with charming villages, bustling towns and the magnificent cathedral city of Worcester nestle in a mixture of mature woodland, meandering river valleys, fruit orchards and farmland. Worcestershire has peaceful countryside with a turbulent past. Rolling landscape, open hills and breathtaking views await you. Cattle graze in the shadows of Iron Age hillforts, medieval settlement remains or on the former battlefields of the English Civil War.

Worcestershire’s location in the heart of England makes it supremely accessible and closer than you think. If you are flying into the area, then Birmingham International Airport is approximately 30 minutes away, Manchester is 1h 50, Heathrow is 2h 10 and Gatwick is 2h 50 away. Worcestershire has excellent road links to the major motorways (M5, M6, M40, M42, M50) and London is just 2½ hours away. If you are using public transport then Worcestershire has many major stations throughout the county with a regular main line train service to and from London, Birmingham, the north and the south west of England. Map of the County of Worcestershire Historic Worcestershire All over Worcestershire there are historic buildings open to the public. There's Hanbury Hall, now maintained by the National Trust and Croome Court, also a National Trust Property. The City of Worcester has much to offer visitors. The Cathedral is one of the oldest and finest in the country and final resting place of King John. The historic crypt has been fully restored to its original condition, as built by St.

Wulstan in 1084. Nearby, at The Commandery Museum, you can inspect the headquarters of the fated Royalist forces at the famous battle of the English Civil War, more than 350 years ago. Abbeys, churches and priories grace the county towns of Pershore, Evesham and Malvern. The once busy river port of Bewdley is home to the Severn Valley Railway, where you can travel to neighbouring towns and villages in steam powered splendour. At Redditch, the Forge Mill Needle Museum demonstrates the crafts that made the region famous all over the world. And when you visit the Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings you can explore the architecture of seven centuries. The Victorians left a fine legacy of spa towns throughout the county. The therapeutic qualities of Droitwich Spa's Brine Baths have been known since Roman times.

ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY OR WEEKEND BREAK TO WORCESTERSHIRE VIDEO Worcestershire Genealogy, Family History and Ancestry Research in England Worcestershire Published in 1828, Pigot's Directory describes Worcestershire thus: "The soil, though various, is generally rich and fertile; producing grain and fruit in the greatest profusion, and abundant pasturage. The soil, between Worcester and the Vale of Evesham, is composed partly of red marl, and partly of a strong loamy clay; the beautiful valley of Evesham consisting of a deep rich earth... The air of this county is mild, warm and healthy, there being but few lakes, and very little swampy ground.

Malvern hills are famous for an antiscorbic spring, which has, moreover, been usefully administered for the scrofula; the inhabitants enjoy a most salubrious and temperate climate, a circumstance which, conjointly with the beautiful, rich and picturesque scenery which they furnish, contributes not a little to induce multitudes of loungers to make the villages of Great and Little Malvern, which are situated upon the eastern side of these hills, the temporary theatres of their gaities... The principal manufactures of this county are seated in its city, and consist of gloving to a great extent, and beautiful porcelain and cabinet ware; in other towns in the county are considerable tanneries, glass and iron works; many hands are also employed in the combing and spinning of wool; linen weaving, the making of needles, nails, fish-hooks, etc. Kidderminster has long been famed for its carpets, and also for the manufacture of worsted stuffs, and fabrics of silk and worsted.

This county is also noted for its fine cider, perry and hops, and beautiful salt is obtained form the springs at Droitwich..." GENUKI: Worcestershire, Worcestershire Worcestershire Report problems or contribute information 1 Introduction 2 Message details 3 Upload file 4 Submitted Help and advice for Worcestershire If you have found a problem on this page then please report it on the following form. We will then do our best to fix it. If you are wanting advice then the best place to ask is on the area's specific email lists . All the information that we have is in the web pages, so please do not ask us to supply something that is not there. We are not able to offer a research service. If you wish to report a problem, or contribute information, then do use the following form to tell us about it. Leave this field blank We are in the process of upgrading the site to implement a content management system. Worcestershire Societies "WORCESTERSHIRE, west-midland County of England, bounded N. by Shropshire and Staffordshire, E. by Warwickshire, S. by Gloucestershire, and W.

by Herefordshire; greatest length (not including the detached parts), NW. and SE., 36 miles; greatest breadth, NE. and SW., 45 miles; area, 472,453 acres, population 380,283. Worcestershire lies almost entirely in the basin of the Severn, which receives the Stour; Teme, and Avon. The surface is a broad undulating plain, broken in the NE. by hills of moderate height, and in the SW. by the Malvern Hills, which reach an altitude of 1395 ft. The soil, chiefly clay and loam, is very fertile. Wheat is extensively grown, and there are numerous hop-gardens and orchards. Large quantities of cider and perry are made. There are several extensive and beautiful valleys (notably that of the Severn), with rich pastures, and great numbers of cattle and sheep are fattened. The strata consist for the most part of new red sandstone, lias, and oolite; other formations are visible in the Malvern Hills and some other districts.

Coal and iron are found in the Dudley district, and the manufacture of iron and steel and of hardware is extensive. Carpets and rugs are made at Kidderminster, glass at Dudley and Stourbridge, gloves and porcelain at Worcester, and needles and fish-hooks at Redditch and Feckennam. Immense quantities of salt are obtained from the brine springs at Droitwich. The Birmingham and Worcester and other canals connect the Severn basin with those of the Trent and Mersey." [Extract from Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles, 1887] Photos and transcriptions of notable church monuments, provided by the Church Monuments Society . Census Online Records FreeCEN . Here are some (brief) Notes from the 1821 Census for Worcestershire, suggesting reasons for local population changes, transcribed by Alan Longbottom. Maureen Surman has extracted from the 1841-1891 census records for Worcester Wharf Area families where one member of a family was born in Warwickshire or one member of the family was a Boatman.

The searchable LDS website - IGI and Familysearch Note on using IGI Batch Numbers: It is not always easy to locate your ancestors in the IGI using the search mechanisms provided at the above LDS site. Manually typing the batch numbers into the IGI search screen can be tedious. Hugh Wallis has made an exhaustive search of the likely ranges of batch numbers and created a database of those numbers and the source records that they apply to. A very powerful feature included is a hotlink from each batch number to the actual search engine provided at the Family Search site, including the ability to enter the surname you are looking for. This makes it very easy to search all the batches for a particular geographic location using just the last name you are searching for - something that is not possible directly from the LDS site without doing a lot of typing. This is Hugh Wallis's site . Civil Registration Civil Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths in England and Wales began on July 1st 1837. Copies of certificates may be obtained from either the General Register Office (GRO), or from a Superintendent's Registrar's Office of the District at which the event was first registered.

If the District no longer exists, this would be the Office to which its registers have been moved. Obtaining a certificate from a Superintendent Registrar's Office. The original records of events, completed by the Registrar of the time, have always been retained by the District Registrar. In Worcestershire, these records were held in several different locations within the county, and in the past an application would be made to the Superintendent Registrar at one of these locations to search the local indexes he or she holds to the registers, and produce a certificated copy from the original record of the event. However in recent years all registers have been moved to the Worcester Register Office in County Hall, Worcester, and applications should now be made to that office. The details required for such a request are name and surname, the event type (ie birth, marriage or death), and the year the event took place, and a search will be made of 5 years either side of that year, if an entry for that year isn't found. You can apply on-line here , but the helpful page about obtaining certificates is not currently available. The cost of a certificate obtained this way is £11.00 (including £1 postage - August 2015).

There is an equivalent site for the West Midlands BMD Indexes , covering the registration districts of Stourbridge, Dudley, West Bromwich and Walsall. When necessary, details of the Local Register Office to contact are on one of the above sites, and a complete list of all districts may be found in Brett Langston's list of Worcestershire Registration Districts (1837-1974) . Obtaining a certifcate from the GRO Certificates from the GRO are issued from copies of the original records; however there is considerable advantage in being able to search indexes to the whole country in one place, so many people prefer to do this, rather than risk a protracted search locally. The first step is to obtain a GRO reference to the event. You can then order certificates online via the Certificate Ordering Service of the General Register Office website. From 6th April 2010, the cost of a certificate obtained this way is £9.25. You can obtain a GRO reference in several ways:- Searching microfilm or fiche at a Library or LDS Family History Centre. FreeBMD is an ongoing project to make the General Register Office (GRO) Indexes freely available online.

More volunteers are needed and details of how you can help are available on-site. findmypast.co.uk (formerly 1837online) - images of the complete BMD indexes from the GRO online. Fee payable The images are also available on Ancestry.co.uk for which a subscription provides access to a wide range of other records. Obtaining a certificate for a recent event The cost of a certificates issued at the time of registration of a current birth, death or marriage is £4.00 for each copy. After registration (for instance, the following day) the cost is £7.00, providing the register is still current (within 28 days of the last entry in the register) 28 days after a registration book is complete, the register is deposited with the Superintendent Registrar of the district. At this point the cost becomes the same as any 'old' certificate obtained locally - £11.00 (including £1 postage - Aug 2015). As Worcestershire is now one registration district, you should apply to Worcester Register Office at County Hall in Worcester.

Directories Extracts of Inns, Taverns, Hotels & Public Houses, from Pigot's Directory of Worcestershire, 1830 . Added 18 Mar 2009. Leicester University's Digital Library of Historical Directories for England and Wales. Note that the old site may be easier to search for the time being. There is a link on the opening page. Nigel Batty-Smith's site of UK Genealogy Archives - Worcestershire has a description of the county from The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England and Wales, 1894-5. The transcription of the section for Worcestershire from the National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin Hinson. The transcription of the section for Miscellaneous Descriptions from the National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin Hinson. Included here are the descriptions of major topological features (rivers, hills &c.) and a descriptions of the county hundred divisions.

Researchers may find one or more of the Worcestershire Mailing Lists useful in their research; and Worcestershire Surnames being researched are listed within Dave Newbury's Worcestershire Surname Interests Surnames being researched in the county of Worcestershire - Worcestershire Surname Interests - compiled by Dave Newbury. Worcestershire Look-up Exchange . NO LONGER AVAILABLE. Bromsgrove BMSGH - "the Family History Site for North Worcestershire". The Midlands Historical Data project produces searchable facsimile copies of old local history books and directories of interest to genealogists. It specialises in the three counties of Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire, working closely with libraries, archives and family history societies in the area. Digital images are made freely available to participating organisations to improve public access. Free search index on its web-site to all its books. In many cases payment will be required to see the extract. The Worcestershire section of 'Curious Fox' - "The village-by-village contact site for anybody researching family history, genealogy and local history in the UK and Ireland". Added 29 Nov 2006.

Worcestershire Ancestors Project This project aims to provide a "free-to-view" online searchable database of all the 19th century Worcestershire census returns. It is part of an initiative aimed at helping make high quality primary (or near-primary) records of relevance to UK genealogy conveniently and freely available online. It is hoped to launch the project by transcribing the 1891 census returns for Kings Norton and then Dudley, using microfiche kindly loaned to the Project for this purpose by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The Project makes use of specially developed software modules for data entry, checking, validation and database upload, under the global name of UK-CENS . The project was scheduled to start in January 2001. Volunteers need a computer and access to a microfiche reader. Microfiche, software, instructions and lots of advice will be supplied by the organisers. There is also a dedicated mailing list to ask questions on and to receive advice about changes or upgrades to the software. There are two phases. In the first, the volunteer transcribes a census piece using whatever method suits them best, then uploads it to the county coordinator.

In the second phase the transcriptions will be checked against the microfiche using a separate piece of software. The software for both phases is designed to make the tasks as easy as possible. Currently, the Devon and Cornwall 1891 returns are being transcribed and checked and it is hoped that transcriptions will start uploading to the online database in less than 12 months. Anyone who wishes to volunteer as a transcriber/checker, please contact the coordinator. This project is designed to help not just ourselves and others who are researching Worcestershire family history now, but to build a resource that will help future family historians. It is also designed to appeal to all online family historians. If you are online you can participate from wherever you are! Transcribed text of the Worcestershire section of Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England (1831) . Historic England Viewfinder - site with historic photographs, searchable by county. Has some unusual ones of the Industrial Age which won't be found amongst the more usual postcard collections!. The Francis Frith Collection - a collection of over 700,000 photographs of the UK, Europe and the Middle East taken by the Victorian photographer Francis Frith.

A Vision of Britain Through Time - information about your home area from the 2001 census, and from each British census back to 1801. Presented both as maps of the whole country and as graphs showing change over time. Some abstracts of Worcestershire Feet of Fines (land conveyances) covering 1422-1509 - on Chris Phillips Medieval English Genealogy web site. Mike Durtnall is providing a country-wide collection of Historical Manuscripts Pages recording details of deeds that have been offered for sale on eBay and in auction catalogues. In most cases whereabouts of the documents will be unknown, but sufficient details of the property involved and of buyers, sellers, mortages, &c. is provided to make them a useful research tool. Added 10 Mar 2009. Pat Johnson has a large collection of original Family Deeds . Abstracts, with name and parish indexes are provided onsite, with transcriptions of the full documents available for a modest fee. In addition, the original deed may also be available for purchase if required. Added 19 Sep 2007.

Genmaps - a collection of 'Old and Interesting Maps of England, Wales and Scotland' for Genealogists and Historians. The above Genmaps Links pages lists Great Britain - Medieval Maps , which in turn provides several maps including an intriguing Ecclesiastical Map of the British Isles in the Middle Ages, which shows the principal Monasteries, demonstrating some of the earliest centres of habitation and influence. Detailed Maps of the area you may be interested in Worcestershire are viewable at the UK Street Map Page . The site provides a most useful service, with superb address searching and street map facilities for anywhere in mainland Great Britain. Clear, Large Type and Braille Maps. Added 11 Feb 2006. UK Towns to Counties Index UK Towns to Counties Index Most people think of locations in terms of counties, rather than towns. This index lets you look up a town and find its county. Because of a lack of definitive lists linking towns, counties and Administrative Areas, the accuracy of this index can’t be guaranteed. County Names and Administrative Areas The name of the appropriate county is often included in an address. However, this isn’t compulsory, as long as you specify the correct town and post code.

The re-organisation of local government introduced new Administrative Areas to England, Scotland and Wales. For example, the English counties of Avon, Cleveland, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, North and South Humberside, Tyne and Wear, and West Midlands were abolished, Herefordshire and Worcestershire were again separated and the small county of Rutland was re-established. Similarly, Scotland’s Strathclyde area was replaced, whilst South Wales was massively re-organised. Meanwhile, many larger towns have been made into Unitary Authorities that operate independently of the surrounding county. Unfortunately, many Administrative Areas aren’t recognised by Royal Mail. In addition, county names, as used in postal addresses, don’t always correspond with Administrative Areas. For example, Middlesex is used in postal addresses although it isn’t an Area.

Click on a letter to find a town:- To return to the top of this Index click on a ▲ A Sports in Worcestershire Tourist Information Centres Worcester Racecourse Worcester Racecourse, with its picturesque tree-lined track and unique position nestling on the banks of the River Severn, offers a great day out for all the family Shelsley Walsh Shelsley Walsh is situated in the Teme Valley in Worcestershire and is home to the famous Shelsley Walsh Speed Hill Climb, the oldest motorsport venue in the world that is still in use today Worcestershire County Cricket Club One of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county. Its limited overs team is called the Worcestershire Royals, although unofficially the county is known by some fans as "the Pears". West Bromwich Albion Football Club As known as The Baggies, West Bromwich Albion is an Premier League Football Team based in West Bromwich with more than 100 years of history of playing at the Hawthorns Sports in Worcestershire Worcestershire is a great destination for sporting enthusiasts.

Europe's oldest motor-sport venue is located in Shelsley Walsh and one of Britain's oldest racecourses, Worcester Racecourse has been hosting racing since 1718. Worcestershire County Cricket Club plays Championship Cricket and was formed way back in 1865. The Worcester Warriors currently compete against the best players in world rugby league in the Aviva Premiership and the Worcester Wolves basketball club play in the British Basketball League (BBL). There are also other sporting venues located close to Worcestershire, such as the premiership football club West Bromwich Albion Football Club. As well as watching sports, there are a huge variety of golf courses and fisheries available in Worcestershire, as well as activity centres for water-sports, rock-climbing, leisure centres, swimming pools, gymnasiums, tennis courts and sports clubs. Sports Parishmouse - Worcestershire Search billions of records on Ancestry.com Worcestershire St.

Peter's church at Besford, Worcestershire WORCESTERSHIRE – Pigot’s Directory 1842 Is reckoned among the middle counties of England and is bounded on the north by Staffordshire, on the north-west by Shropshire, on the west by Herefordshire, on the east and north-east by Warwickshire, and on the south and south-east by Gloucestershire. The shape of this county is extremely irregular, having upon almost every side small portions either detached or insulated by adjoining counties; and the boundaries form numberless indentures, resembling bays, promontories and peninsulas. The principal detached districts are those situated in the counties of Gloucester Warwick and Stafford, the latter county surrounding the town of Dudley. Without taking into account such separated portions, the length of the county, from about Stourbridge, on the north, to Tewkesbury (a border town in Gloucestershire), on the south, is thirty miles; and in breadth, from east to west, at its widest part, it is about twenty-eight.

From the numerous abrupt angles which present themselves on its borders, some difficulty has arisen in computing its circumference: it may, however, be stated at two hundred and fifty miles, including the projecting points, and, exclusive of them, at about one hundred and twenty-five. The area of the county is stated, by government, to comprise 729 square miles, or 466,560 statute acres – but which, it is presumed, does not include those parts before referred to as lying in other counties. In Size Worcestershire ranks as the thirty-fourth English county, and in population as the twenty-fifth. Name and ancient history – The name of this county has its origin from that of its city, Worcester. Antecedent to the invasion of this country by Caesar, and under the dominion of his successors, Worcestershire was inhabited by the Cornavii, and by the Romans was comprised in the province of Flavia Caesariensis: during the Heptarchy it belonged to Mercia, when it was the frequent scene of sanguinary contests between the Saxons and the Danes.

In 1016 the Danish forces under Canute were defeated with great slaughter by Edmund lronside, near Blockley. The ancient city of Worcester was possessed by the Britons and Romans before the arrival of the Saxons; the original cathedral was established in 680. One of the most remarkable battles recorded in English annals was fought in the Vale of Evesham, in the year 1265, between Simon de Montford, Earl of Leicester, and Prince Edward, afterwards Edward 1, in which the Earl and most of his adherents were slain. Evesham in the days of monastic grandeur, was celebrated for its abbey, then one of the largest and most stately in the kingdom. The origin of Dudley may be ascribed to Dudo, a famous Saxon warrior, who raised a strong fortress here, upon the site of which now stand the venerable remains of a castle. During the various internal dissensions which have disturbed the tranquillity of England, few events of importance have transpired within the limits of this county of which the city of Worcester has not been largely a partaker.

In the civil commotions that marked the reign of Charles I, it was frequently the arena of deadly struggles between the king's forces and those of the parliament; and the inhabitants, though they suffered severely, continued to the end of the contest zealous supporters of the royal cause, and, after a respite of five years, opened their gates to Charles II, which again involved them in a disastrous war, terminated only by that battle which Cromwell, in describing his success, designated ‘a crowning mercy’ – and, in token of his victory, named a sixty-gun ship, which was soon after launched at Woolwich the ‘Worcester.’ Soil and Climate, Produce and Manufactures -The soil of this county, though various, is generally rich and fertile, producing grain and fruit in the greatest profusion, and abundant pasturage. Between Worcester and the Vale of Evesham, the soil is composed partly of red marl and partly of a strong loamy clay, the beautiful valley of Evesham consisting of a deep rich earth. On the borders, and in various parts of the Coteswold Hills, limestone predominates, particularly in the more elevated regions, while the lower are covered with a rich loam.

From Worcester to the Malvern Hills the surface is clay and gravel: westward, deep clay forms the upper stratum in some parts; in others, a loose stony soil. – The inhabitants of this county enjoy a most salubrious and temperate climate: the air is mild warm and healthful, there being but few lakes, and very little swampy ground; – circumstances which, conjointly with the beautiful, rich, and picturesque scenery the country furnishes, contribute not a little to induce multitudes of loungers to make the villages of Great and Little Malvern, situate upon the eastern side of the hills here, the temporary theatres of their gaieties. – The principal manufactures of Worcestershire are seated in its city; they consist in the manufacture of gloves to a great extent, and beautiful porcelain and cabinet ware. In other towns in the county are considerable tanneries, and glass and iron works: many hands are also employed in the combing and spinning of wool, linen weaving, the making of needles, nails, fish-hooks, &c. Kidderminster has long been famed for its carpets, and also for the manufacture of worsted stuffs, and fabrics of silk and worsted.

This county is also noted for its fine cider, perry and hops: and excellent salt is obtained from the springs at Droitwich: the antiquity of the manufacture of this article here has been traced prior to the Norman conquest, and at the present day it is its staple trade. At Dudley all kinds of ornamental and cut glass are got up in the most excellent style of workmanship; and the nail trade, in this and the neighbouring parishes, employs a very large population. The iron works for manufacturing various descriptions of heavy hardware are very extensive, particularly at Stourbridge and the villages adjacent. The town of Redditch is almost entirely supported by the needle and fish-hook trade, and in the manufacture of these minute and useful articles numerous persons are occupied. Rivers and mineral springs, canals and railways. – The principal rivers of this county are the noble Severn, the Avon, the Teme and the Stour: many streams, of little note, but of no inconsiderable utility to the farmer, water this county, besides the rivers just mentioned, but do not form sufficiently striking features to demand particular description.

The Severn enters the county at Bewdley, and, turning nearly south, passes the city of Worcester, and also, further below it, the town of Upton; after which it enters Gloucestershire at Tewkesbury, and thence proceeds onwards to the Bristol channel. The Avon traverses the south-east part of the county, and falls into the Severn at Tewkesbury. The Teme, from the borders of Herefordshire and Shropshire, enters Worcestershire a little below Tenbury, and is lost in the Severn a mile and a half below Worcester.

The Stour passes the towns of Stourbridge and Stourport, to which it gives name: on the south side of the latter town it falls into the Severn, which is here joined by the Staffordshire and Worcester canal, where are extensive basins and warehouses; and from these circumstances it is aptly denominated ‘the Port of Worcestershire.’ – The springs in this county which are said to possess medicinal properties are those of the wells at Malvern, which have acquired a reputation for curing many disorders, and especially for relieving persons suffering from scrofula or scurvy: their efficacy, however, has been (perhaps unjustly) denied by many; and the relief experienced by patients, under different complaints, has been ascribed to the cheering influence of beautiful scenery, pure and bracing air, simple diet, and regular exercise. – The canals that pass through Worcestershire, and furnish to its inhabitants the facility of inland navigation, and communication with distant counties, are the Droitwich, the Worcester and Birmingham, the Dudley Extension, and the Staffordshire and Worcester.

– The only railway at present directly connected with this county is the Birmingham and Gloucester, which effects a communication between these two places, and in its route from Gloucester goes through Cheltenham; passes two or three miles to the right or east of Tewkesbury, Uyton and Worcester; thence running a short distance to the east of Droitwich and Bromsgrove, it proceeds to Birmingham, at which town it communicates with the London and Birmingham, and the Grand Junction railways. Ecclesiastical and civil divisions, and representation. – Worcestershire is in the province of Canterbury and diocess of Worcester (Excepting fifteen parishes and eight chapelries, which are in that of Hereford): it is included in the Oxford circuit of the judges, and divided into the five hundreds of Blakenhurst, Doddingtree, Halfshire, Oswaldslow and Pershore, which are subdivided into one hundred and seventy-one parishes, containing collectively one city and county town (Worcester), and twelve other market towns.

The whole county, before the reform bill passed, returned nine members to parliament, namely, two for the city of Worcester, two each for Droitwich and Evesham, one for Bewdley, and two for the shire. The new bill deprived Droitwich of one member, and conferred the elective franchise upon Kidderminster and Dudley, which return one each; and two others have been added to the county – which, in consequence, is now represented by twelve members in parliament, instead of nine, as heretofore. The boundary act divided the county into two parts, respectively called the Eastern Division and the Western Division: the former comprises the divisions of Stourbridge, Dudley, Droitwich, Northfield, Blockley and Pershore; and the western portion includes the divisions of Upton, Worcester, Hundred-House and Kidderminster. The return of members to represent the eastern division of the county is made from Droitwich, and for the western from Worcester. Besides the place of return, the eastern division polls at Pershore, Shipston and Stourbridge; and the western division polls also at Upton, Stourport and Tenbury.

The members returned at the general election in 1841, for the eastern division, were John Barneby, Esq., of Breckhampton, county of Hereford, and James Arthur Taylor, Esq., of Moseley Hall, near Birmingham; and for the western division, the Hon. General Beauchamp Lygon, of Spring Hill, in this county (re-elected), and Frederick Wynn Knight, Esq. Population, &c. – By the census for 1831 this county contained 103,367 males, and 107,989 females – total, 211,356; in 1841, males 114,753, and females 118,731 – total, 233,484: being an increase, since the returns made in 1821, of 49,060 inhabitants; and, from the census of 1801 to that of 1841, the augmentation amounted to 94,151 persons.

The total annual value of Real Property in this county, as assessed April, 1815, amounted to about £800,000. Source: Pigot & Co.'s Royal National and Commercial Directory and Topography of the Counties of Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Rutlandshire, Northamptonshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire 1841/1842

Question: Droitwich and Kidderminster are towns in which English county?
Answer: WORCESTERSHIRE